Kybella for Under Chin Fat, Columbus Ohio

If you have been struggling with under chin fat that no amount of diet and exercise changes seems to touch, you are probably wondering what else is out there that might help you. Of course there is always surgery, but a more non-invasive option would be ideal.

Now there is a new treatment available called Kybella, which recently received Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval in spring 2015. This is good news to the approximately 80 percent of people with double chins who want to do something about it but are reluctant to have surgery or are not good candidates for surgery. And if you are willing to travel to our practice near Columbus, Ohio, then Dr. Smith and his team can help you too!

Learn more about this new option for treating double chins, including how it works, what to expect during treatment, who is a good candidate, when you will see results and answers to the most frequently asked patient questions.

What Is Kybella?

The main ingredient in the treatment is called deoxycholic acid (ATX 101). It is identical to a kind of bile acid the body makes naturally. One of deoxycholic acid’s best qualities is its ability to dissolve fat cells, making it a perfect spot treatment for fat deposits in the chin area.

When working naturally in the body, deoxycholic acid breaks down fats from your food and helps the body absorb them as energy. When working specifically as a treatment for submental “double chin” fat, deoxycholic acid goes to work to destroy those fat cells instead. Because of how deoxycholic acid works naturally, it is literally a perfect choice for targeting small but problematic fat deposits, such as those commonly found under the chin.

The best aspect of treatment with deoxycholic acid is that the acid permanently destroys the fat cells under your chin, so there is no anticipated need for future treatments once your course of treatment concludes. The results you receive will be permanent.

What is most important for prospective patients to understand is that this double chin fat can and often does exist regardless of gender, age, dietary habits, level of fitness and overall lifestyle. For this reason, the FDA felt a new alternative to surgery was needed to address persistent double chin fat and gave this treatment its approval. To date, it is the only treatment of its kind available.

In two U.S. clinical trials, out of 1,000 participating patients, more than 80 percent noted improvement in the appearance of their chin after receiving treatment. While the treatment is specifically designed to destroy fat, some patients noted firmer skin as another benefit of receiving treatment. Those who received more treatments reported more satisfactory results than those who received fewer treatments overall.

Why Try This New Treatment?

The treatment itself has delivered positive results in more than 20 clinical studies involving 1,600 participating patients. Since it received FDA approval in spring 2015, thousands of additional patients have already received this safe and effective new treatment.

Double chin treatment has been shown to work well in each of the following situations:

– When your chin and jawline area are fuller than you prefer due to submittal fat deposits.
– When you want to reduce the appearance of a “double chin” from the front and/or side view.
– When your goal is to contour your chin and jawline so they flow naturally into your neck line.

The Procedure

Double chin treatment takes place using a series of small injections. The injections are typically administered over a number of sessions. Before beginning your series of treatments, you will schedule an initial consultation with your treatment provider to discuss your individual treatment needs and goals.

During this consultation, your treatment provider will take photos and discuss your medical history. If you are deemed a good candidate for treatment, you will leave your consultation with all the information you need to prepare and pay for treatment.

What treatment is the like?
When you arrive for your first treatment, your provider will administer topical and/or local anesthetic to ensure your total comfort during the procedure. Depending on the amount and placement of submental fat, you may receive anywhere from 12 to 50 small injections per treatment. Each treatment takes between 15 and 20 minutes from start to finish, so the actual experience of receiving the injections is very quick.

Number of treatments required?
In most cases, treatments are scheduled no more than 30 days apart. Some patients require up to six treatments to see the results they desire (this group represented 59 percent of patients in the clinical trials), while others may require fewer treatments to achieve satisfactory results. During the clinical trials, some patients reported positive results in as few as two visits.

Post-treatment?
After you have had your first treatment, you can expect to feel a bit of pain, tenderness or numbness (from the topical and/or local anesthetic used during treatment) around the treatment sites. You may also see some redness, swelling or bruising, including some small firmer-feeling areas, near the injection sites. These effects are all normal and temporary and should subside on their own between treatments.

Are You A Candidate for Kybella?

If you are considering having this new Columbus, Ohio, non-surgical treatment for your double chin fat, you probably have lots of questions about whether you are a good candidate or not.

While there is no way to answer this question definitively without first speaking with the healthcare professional who will administer the treatments, here are some general guidelines to consider about who makes a good candidate:

You are fit and healthy overall.

You are not trying to use treatment as a substitute for diet and exercise.

You have persistent under-chin fat that doesn’t respond to diet or exercise.

You don’t want to have surgery to have these fat deposits treated.

You have no history of infections in the proposed treatment area.

You have not had recent surgery or upcoming plans to have surgery in the proposed treatment area.

You have no history of bleeding or immune system disorders.

You don’t have any trouble swallowing or breathing.

You have no other medical conditions that impact the chin and/or neck region.

You are not currently taking any required medications that may contraindicate having treatment (especially anti-clotting medications).

You are not currently pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the near future.

You are not currently breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed in the near future.

FAQs

Undoubtedly, you will have your own unique set of questions about receiving double chin treatment in
Columbus, Ohio. Be sure to write these questions down so you can ask your treatment provider to address them during your initial consultation.

In the meantime, the answers to these frequently asked questions may help shed more light on what to expect before, during and after treatment.

How long will the procedure last?

You can expect your very first treatment to be a little longer than the follow-up treatments, but it will still last less than half an hour from start to finish. In total, procedure itself is typically spread out over a series of treatments, each of which last between 15 and 20 minutes. Depending on your specific situation and goals, you may need as few as two treatments or as many as six or more treatments.

What can I expect after the procedure?

If you experience any pain, redness, numbness, swelling or hardness around the injection sites, these are normal and temporary side effects that typically resolve on their own between treatments. Be sure to talk with your treatment provider if any of these temporary side effects become uncomfortable for you.

Are there risks?

A small percentage of patients receiving treatment have reported more serious side effects. Reported side effects have affected an estimated 4 percent of patients to date. These side effects include trouble swallowing, an uneven smile, weakness in the facial muscles and nerve damage to the jaw area (this last is most common when injections are delivered too close to the marginal mandibular nerve, a major nerve that runs along the jawline.

In most reported cases, each of these rarer side effects resolved on their own within a period of time. Median time to resolution ranged from 3 to 44 days.

How soon can I return to work?

Treatment is done on an outpatient basis and you can typically return to work the same day you have had a treatment.